Chuck Hayes is the first PF off the bench now, according to JVG in the chronicle. That makes it official. Swift is in the doghouse and the rockets are going to trade him. I thought he had potential but i guess not.
Not so sure its so much that Swift is in the doghouse, as it is, Hayes is in the penthouse. If you intend to trade a player, you don't bench him 2 games after he returns from an injury.
Since nobody else posted it, here it is.... Hou Chron Link Rockets still ailing Despite Yao's return, Grizzlies expose bad play By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle MEMPHIS, TENN. - They have healed Tracy McGrady's back. They have gotten Yao Ming back on his toes. Yet the Rockets look the same as ever. It's just easier to name them. And it's little wonder that even in relatively good health, the Rockets remain a team in shambles. That's what happens when a team falls apart so often, as the Rockets' 86-77 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies demonstrated on Monday at FedEx Forum. The Rockets played well for stretches and even led early. But they collapsed in the third quarter, just as they did Sunday against the Miami Heat, and spent the rest of the night trying to make up for the damage. "We're either up by a couple or down by a couple, and a team makes a run, and it seems like we can't bounce back up," said forward Tracy McGrady, who had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists but made just 10 of 26 shots. "Mentally, they take us out of the game for a while, and we find ourselves trying to fight back. By the time we get back in the game, it's too late. "We did that today. We did that yesterday. I can't say why it's happening, but it is. Mentally, we have to be strong. We have to overcome those situations and fight back instead of allowing ourselves to be down." For all the explanations for why the Rockets collapse — from a fragile offense too reliant on shaky perimeter shooting to a mistake-prone defense — there was one clear answer. "We're just not a good team," coach Jeff Van Gundy said with the Rockets last in the Western Conference. "We can talk about it, but we're just not. Tonight, we gave a professional effort and yet an inefficient one." The breakdown on Monday came midway through the third quarter. Good start The Rockets accomplished almost everything they had hoped to in the first half. They kept Pau Gasol in check without getting burned from the 3-point arc. They shot well and even got out on the break. Yao showed the rust built during his 21-game layoff but still got deep touches to start knocking it off and finished with 15 points in 32 1/2 minutes, making half his 14 shots, with eight rebounds. The Rockets led by as much as seven and could have had more. But they could not hit from the arc or the free-throw line, missing all six of their 3-pointers and making just five of 12 free throws. Even when the Grizzlies ended the half with a bit of a flurry, the source of their four-point lead seemed to be the Rockets' horrid free-throw shooting, which seemed correctable. Then the second half began, and all that had gone well went wrong — and the Rockets still could not make many free throws. They overcame their familiar sluggish start to the second half, answering the Grizzlies' 7-0 run with one of their own. But after closing within 54-52, the offense shut down. By the fourth quarter, the defense would follow. The Grizzlies put together a 13-0 third-quarter run — in which the Rockets missed nine consecutive shots and twice had shot-clock violations — to build a 67-52 lead. Memphis led by 16 five minutes into the fourth quarter, and the Rockets had missed all 11 of their 3-pointers. The Rockets finally made a few jumpers and closed within five on a McGrady 3-pointer with 25.1 seconds left, just as they had pulled within five on McGrady's 3 with 27.9 seconds left against Miami on Sunday. But they were again forced to foul, and Eddie Jones and Chucky Atkins shared the honors of putting the Rockets away with free throws. In some ways, the loss might appear as simple as missing shots the Rockets can make. They made just three of 17 3-pointers, and their 8-of-19 foul shooting was the worst of the season. Long-range duds "You have to make some (3-pointers)," Van Gundy said. "Last night in the second half we were 3-of-14, so we were 6-of-31 over the last game-and-a-half. "Our free-throw shooting has been going down, and then we don't go in as hard because it seems we don't want to go to the line, maybe. I don't know." But mostly, they lost again the way bad teams lose — falling apart to need a stunning, improbable finish. In a way, that was fitting. Yao will grow stronger. More players will come back. And the Rockets, having fallen apart long enough now must hope for a run to a stunning, improbable finish. jonathan.feigen@chron.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rockets Summary Yao returns Rockets center Yao Ming returned to the court and the starting lineup Monday after missing 21 games because of the infection in his left big toe and surgery on Dec. 19. "Rehab was pretty difficult for me, all the conditioning, and being away from the court for a long time," Yao said. "Also, I have to remember all the plays, so there is not just a need to get my body back in game shape but to get back in shape mentally." Yao had been experimenting for more than a week with a plastic shield built on the outside of his shoe to protect his toe. He intended to start the game in new shoes, but instead went with his preferred old shoes with a smaller protective part built inside. The pair is one of eight available to him. "I played with pain before I had the surgery," Yao said. "I think if I can play with that pain, I can play now." Hayes moves up ladder Yao Ming's return was not the only change in the Rockets' rotation. Rookie forward Chuck Hayes, who signed on Jan. 18, moved ahead of Stromile Swift as the first forward or center off the bench. In eight games, Hayes has averaged 22.5 minutes, 7.9 rebounds and 6.8 points on 51.4 percent shooting. In eight minutes on Sunday, Swift did not have a point, rebound or blocked shot. "Chuck is our first big guy off the bench," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "After that, it will depend on matchups. To me, Chuck has earned what he's gotten. Whether he can sustain it — really, playing time up front is there to be had." On Monday, Hayes had zero points and five rebounds in nearly 13 minutes, and Swift had three points and five rebounds in a little over 13 minutes. Kudos to Fratello The Grizzlies lead the NBA in opponent scoring. In the category probably more telling about their strength defensively and typical of Mike Fratello's teams, they rank fourth in opposing field-goal percentage. "Hard playing, very few mistakes, no tricks coming at you — they're just going to compete harder on defense than you're going to play on offense and (be) ultra prepared," Jeff Van Gundy said. "No one talks about it, but I think without question, when all is said and done, he is a Hall of Fame coach. I really believe that with all my heart." Final word "We don't play well for 48 minutes. We're doing it in stretches. I try to figure it out, I can't. I wish I had the answer to that." — Rafer Alston Inside the numbers • 0-9 — Rockets' record in their division. • 42.1 — Free-throw shooting percentage (8-of-19), the Rockets' worst this season. • 17 — Rockets' fast-break points, one shy of their season high. JONATHAN FEIGEN
It's mostly about effort, especially effort without the ball. It's hard to do this without being in the building, but if you watch how players act off the ball on offense and defense it really tells a tale. Swift may just be the least active of any Rocket. Goes through the motions while setting picks and often does not make contact with the man he's screening off, makes minimal effort to crash the boards on either end, quickly comes out to the 3-point line to double team but meanders back to his man - often conceding a put-back. He gets in his electric dunk or weakside block to thrill the crowd and convince half the viewers that he's a superstar being unfairly held back. Hayes is the exact opposite. He's undersized and often overmatched, but has uncanny nose for the ball. Catches a lot of opponents off-guard to get put-backs or defensive boards. Overzealous enough that he picks up too many cheap fouls and tends to take (contested under the basket) low percentage shots instead of kicking it out. Runs the court and rarely walks back. I'd assume JVG is sending a message, and it's not the first time this season he's done so with Swift. The man has all the tools in th eworld, but he's got very bad habits that have been with him his entire career. It's what drove people in Memphis batty and why they didn't fight to keep him. I still there's hope for him, he looked so much better against Minnesota than he had my last few games at Toyota. Evan
Proof: Swift > Hayes hahah. Nah, seriously, I do still like Swift better. I like Hayes as well, but I just don't believe that Swift will fumble the ball that much every game. I still think he is our guy off the bench, even if Jeff doesn't think so right now. I personally don't care, I just want to start seein more wins strung together.
i wanted to keep stro and give him minutes until hayes changed my mind. rebounds are more important than dunks and blocks combined. if hayes develops a jumper he can be our udonis haslem/malik rose. stro can go for a guard. maybe NJ would be interested in stro, ending contracts + unprotected first rounder for RJ? maybe we can pull dunleavy for just stro? could be traded to denver for watson... maybe send him to mini for jaric and a future second rounder? nok for claxton and a pick or with a pick for jr? toronto for mopete? anything is possible...
If Vince Carter can't pry loose RJ, then Stro and Wesley and Moochie (or whatever) definately won't. Why give up that first round pick and expiring contracts anyway? Scratch this season, keep the young, relatively cheap Stromile as well as all your picks and expiring contracts. Draft well and spend your newfound caproom wisely and we'll be in good shape for a long while. Let me just say for the record, I don't think we should do anything drastic unless it nets us a Rasheed Wallace or the like. Tracy is young, Yao is young, Luther and Hayes and Rafer are young. Let's just build around those guys in the coming years will the cap relief the expiring contracts give us. Look at Miami this year. Does anyone take them seriously? There's something to be said for continuity.
I think people are being too quick to trade Stro if the right deal come along I am all for it but keep in mind Mutombo only has next year till retirement and at the very worst if Stro does not earn starter minutes he can be a backup to Yao Ming off the bench his still for his price is still good for something. Not to mention I watch the Memphis game last night and Houston perimeter defense was so bad I almost turned off the game. I think Houston needs a young SG that can play defense whether by draft or trade Luther too small although current he is the best we have, David makes the occasional big play but his fouls are momentum backbreakers. Rafer is OK but seems to pick up clumsy fouls. Just look at the game Atkins killed us a lot like Earl Watson the last time he played is our defense on the perimeter its not just speed it height.
I never thought I would get more frustrated watching a player play then Steve Francis, but I was wrong. Swift is way more frustrating to watch. It's one bone-headed play after another, and he can't hold on to the ball to save his life. At least with Francis you knew he was trying. Trade Swift.
I think the problem is we're not using Swift the way he should be used. I've seen Swift post up most of the time and that is not his game.. He looks more like Shawn Bradley everytime he tries to post up. We need to use him like we did with Cato and start using more isolation plays. Just lob him the ball near the rim and he'll throw it down. He's just a simple player. Also the problem is our spacing.. if T-mac drives down the lane we need guys to spread out and keep Swift in the paint to put it in.
